Dave Guerra (the official blog)

US Army Veteran, MBA, Entrepreneur, Author of Business Leadership books: "The Walking Leader" & "Great To Follow" and the OCCUPIED BERLIN series (historical fiction). This blog contain my Thoughts, Words, Tips and Lessons about Business Leadership. Count on everything being delivered without pulling a single punch (NEVER!)

26 August 2015

Every Tuesday evening at 8pm eastern, the #DareToBe tweetchat takes
place on Twitter. The #DareToBe tweetchat is hosted by Andrea Sanchez
(@asanchez16), an Editor, Writer, and Communications Executive.

Every week a different topic. On the evening of August 25, 2015, the topic was MAKING MISTAKES. I could not capture all the twitter based answers to the 10 questions asked by @ASanchez16.
However, I present the questions and my answers (with a bit of
amplification). Please enjoy and if you can, please joins us. Look for
the #DareToBe hashtag every Tuesday evening.

Making Mistakes

Q1: Define “mistake.” #DareToBeMy Answer: Mistake is the unintentional outcome of a decision.
No matter how careful people can be there will be times when what they planned to happen does not. There will be times that the outcome will be purely unintentional and that is expected. There should be a mistake clause in everything we do. The clause should simply read: Mistakes will happen.

Q2: How do you feel when you make a mistake? #DareToBeMy Answer: I used to feel terrible. Now I feel: I'm glad that's out of the way.
As mistakes are most unavoidable, making them should be expected. Once out of the way, the business of getting to the expected outcome can properly begin.

Q3: Why do mistakes generally make us feel bad despite knowing we're all human? #DareToBeMy Answer: The ego drives us to try and to do it. When it does not turn out then we are reminded we are human.
Emotions are part of who we are as humans. Emotions will be present when we reach the desired outcome or when we don’t.

Q4: What would happen if nobody ever made mistakes? #DareToBeMy Answer: Life would be boring. Remember the melted cheese sandwich by the radar led to Microwave oven.
When no one makes mistakes, there is no growth. Everything is stagnant and that is not a good thing. We need mistakes because correcting those mistakes is what makes us want to do better and to be better.

Q5: Share a time you made a mistake and how you dealt with it. #DareToBeMy Answer: I make so many mistakes, all the time, I have learned to admit to them, move on and try my hardest not to repeat them.
Now I do not purposely go out to make mistakes. I try to do the right thing. I try to make right decisions as best that I can, however, there are times when things do not work out.

Q6: You need _______________ to be able to learn from mistakes. #DareToBeMy Answer: You need mature enough to accept that mistakes will happen to be able to learn from mistakes.
Maturity is necessary when it comes to accept the things we cannot change. Once a mistake is made it cannot be changed. However, we can change the future by accepting the mistake and learning from it.

Q7: The kind of mistakes you make define you. Agree/Disagree? Explain. #DareToBeMy Answer: Agree. They define you whether you learn from them or repeat them.
As everything we have ever done and are currently do defines who we are and what we will be. For those that keep making mistake but never learn from them then they get what they deserve. Then again, when one learns from their mistake they get what they deserve. It’s a double edged sword.

Q8: All mistakes are not created equal. What mistakes are unacceptable? #DareToBeMy Answer: Unacceptable mistakes are the ones that cost lives. Egos heal. Property can be replaced.
When a mistake takes a life this is beyond unacceptable. A simple accounting error will more than likely not cause a loss of life however, there are those mistakes that can and do take a life or lives. When that happens, well as I said above, they get what they deserved.

Q9: When you make a mistake, the best thing to do is _______________. #DareToBeMy Answer: The best thing it to own up to it and work extra hard to not repeat that same mistake.
Nothing more to say here.Q10: Tomorrow, I will dare to make a mistake/embrace imperfection by ____________________. #DareToBeMy Answer: Tomorrow, I will dare to make a mistake/embrace imperfection by sharing my mistakes and the lessons learned from those mistakes.